Powell & Moya

Description

Powell & Moya was created by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya. The 2 founders encountered each other when they were students of the Architectural Association. They were also colleagues before partners as the duo worked together under the guidance of Frederick Gibberd. Working together under their own practice's name, Philp Powell and Hidalgo Moya eventually became known as the creators of 'humane modernism'. They were winners of a prestigious competition to design a housing complex in Westminster, London which consisted of 1600 homes. The Churchill Gardens estate is recognised as the only housing project that was crafted under the Abercrombie Plan to remodel the capital in a more efficient manner - tall housing flats that are integrated with terraced houses, maisonettes, shops and pubs. The estate was a prime example of mixed use developments that was designed to cater to a bigger social demographic. In terms of the aesthetics, it was inspired by Walter Gropius for the infusion of brick panelling and concrete frames. Following the design of the Churchill Gardens, Powell & Moya devoted their following housing projects to high density living, affordable high quality architecture. While the bulk of their work is housing developments, the practice also rose up in status and gained recognition for their modern, cutting edge design of the Skylon Tower at the Festival of Britain. They also crafted and developed a handful of other prominent modernist architecture including various buildings for Cambridge College and Oxford College.